The Third-Hour Hunger Games
by Capella-Barbie
Summary: Just a little writing exercise to get me back into the writing spirit. I'm making a SYOT after this, so don't forget to review advice and follow me as an author! *Should be done in under a week* If you Follow the story, I'll be able to send you PMs about the story and answer any questions you may have so please do that, as the chapter updates are going to be messy.
1. Tribute Names and Districts

Information:

District 1: Brad

District 2: Santiago

District 3: Bre

District 4: Annie-Kate

District 5: Hannah

District 6: Dillon

District 7: Angie

District 8: Masen

District 9: Megan

District 10: Blake

District 11: Sadaf

District 12: Trent

District 13: Rachel

Just a short little writing exercise I'm doing to get back into writing a SYOT. Tell me what you think, and follow me as an author, because I'll have a SYOT form out soon after this is completed (In about a week)!


	2. The Reapings

The Reapings:

Masen, District 8:

The Quarter Quell this year is different. This is the first one since the end of the revolution. The Districts took over the Capitol and forced President Snow out of power. Then Katniss Everdeen killed Snow's replacement, President Coin. The people of the Districts soon moved into the Capitol, forcing its people to live in the poverty of the Districts. After a year of relocating and settling in, the Hunger Games resumed. Now, once again, the District's children stood together, grouped by age and gender, waiting for our District's escort to announce which children were being sent to the human version of a slaughter house. However, the Quarter Quell was different without Snow in charge. This year, only one tribute goes from each District.

A tall man with dark hair and grey eyes walked across the stage, his shoulders back and his chest popped out. One crystal ball stood in the center of the stage. He reached in slowly and grabbed a single piece of paper from the center of the cluster. "Masen Kuppler." He read in a loud, monotone voice.

I swallowed past the lump in my throat, flipped the blonde hair out of my eyes, and held my head high as I made my way down the aisle to the stage to face the people I knew I would see again.

* * *

Santiago, District 2:

Adrenaline was pumping in my veins. This was my final reaping. Whether I win or not, this is my last reaping. Then I remembered that the Quarter Quell narrowed it down to only one. Thirteen untrained, weak, nobodies who were going to lose to my sword, the same sword I have been practicing with since I was a child. I've been training for fourteen years now, at my final reaping, I was ready.

A tall woman with pale blonde hair and dark brown eyes walked across the stage. She smiled eagerly at the children in their sections. "Isn't this exciting?" She said as she reached into the glass bowl and pulled out a name. "Adam Percure." She said happily.

He was a twelve year old, his first reaping. He walked steadily as he made his way to the stage. His small foot barely touched the stage when I bellowed "I volunteer." I approached the stage and my blonde escort then smiled broadly.

I was a career; this is what I have been trained for. My sword was now an extension of my arm and survival was what every fiber of my being pleaded me to do. This was my Hunger Games, I am ready.

* * *

Angie, District 7:

I made my way to the group of female sixteen year olds and stood in silence. My best friend, Mariah, was two groups ahead of me, with the other eighteen year olds. This was her final reaping. I skimmed the crowd and found the people I actually cared about. My brother, Brady. My soon-to-be sister-in-law, Lindsey. And Matt. He was the one I cared about most. He stood on the edge of his fifteen year old boys group so that he could keep an eye on me. His dirty blonde fo-hawk was perfect and his button down dress shirt was flawlessly ironed. I made eye contact with him and smiled wearily. He didn't smile back, but instead had to force himself not to comfort me. My name was entered twenty seven times. The tesserae was never enough to feed my family, even with both Brady and I getting it. Somehow we always had at least one extra mouth to feed. Matt was one of those mouths. His parents had left him alone three years ago. They ran off into the woods and left him there. He came to my mother and she invited him to stay.

The District 7 escort, a pudgy redheaded woman, walked across the stage. The crystal ball that held the future of every child from the ages of twelve to eighteen sat on a marble pedestal in the middle of the stage. The woman put a huge show about the name of the tribute that will bring honor and glory to our District. "Angela Jones."

I held my head high as I made my way slowly to the stage. My hands shook with fear as I passed both Brady and Mariah in their holding areas. I mounted the stage and turned around.

"I'm Veronica Summers." The woman said as she shook my hand.

"It's very nice to meet you." I said and shook her hand back.

"So polite. I can tell we will get along fine."

"I volunteer!" Matt yelled as he ran onto the stage and shoved me behind him. "I volunteer."

Veronica shook her head, "I'm sorry, but you cannot volunteer. You are a boy and she is a girl, regardless of the amount of tributes sent, that basic rule still applies. You cannot volunteer for someone who is a different gender than yourself."

I hugged him tightly and kissed his cheek. "I'm sorry." I whispered before Veronica started leading me into the Court House.

"Come back for me." He called before the door closed.

* * *

Sadaf, District 11:

My hands trembled as I walked onto the stage. Why wasn't anyone volunteering? I'm only twelve and I can't fight at all. I'd be dead as soon as the gong went off. Everyone here knew that, and I was the only chance they had this year. Why wasn't anyone volunteering?

I looked out into the crowd of the place I called home. My friends, family, and enemies all stared back at me. They all looked terrified. I was shaking badly but refused to look weak. I smiled out to the crowd and shook hands with my escort.

My mother ran to the stage, sobbing. My fake smile didn't falter as the peace keepers dragged her away. I waved goodbye and turned my back on the only people I had ever known. They were my home, my life, my future. And I would never see them again. Goodbye to all of you, I thought, I'll meet you in heaven.


	3. Train Rides

Train Rides:

Bre, District 3:

My district focused on technology, but even in tests, I had never seen a train that moved this fast before. It must be going at least two hundred kilometers a minute. I walked into the dining car and sat down in the chair across from my mentor, Amelia. Her golden hair hung in her face as she reached across the table for a roll, her bitten nails disgusted me. What could possibly make you bite part of your own body off?

As if reading my mind, Amelia raised her head to look at me, her grey eyes piercing. "If you come back, you'll understand."

Of course, the nightmares of the games that haunt every victor from a non-career district, how could I have been so ignorant as to forget about them? The threats of waking up night after night after night have plagued me since I was little, and now I was actually being sent to the games. If I make it home, how will I survive the endless torture that the games have burned into the back of my mind? So many questions, so little answers. I can't work under these conditions. On this train, left is right, up is down, and evil is good. Noting makes sense anymore.

"You don't even know the half of it yet." Amelia said softly.

* * *

Brad, District 1:

I had the shortest train ride, that's so unfair. I mean, I'm from one of the better districts, yet I get to enjoy the comfort of the train for only about four hours. That totally sucks. I sat with my mentor, a man with a barreled chest and strong arms named Aaron, as we watched the Reapings from the other districts. The one from Eleven almost brought emotions out from where I have forced them to hide somewhere inside me.

It almost made me feel pity. But pity will get me nowhere. I watched the District Seven reaping: a girl my age leaving a boyfriend who tried to volunteer, lame. In Nine, a girl trips on her way up the stage and I can't help but smile thinking of her trying to run away from the cornucopia. Morbid, I know, but in these games, who isn't?

I check out the other careers and realize how serious they were. The boy from Two looked like he was about to rip the boy who was actually called from the stage as he volunteer. Just another 'hunk' with a sword trying to win a fight to the death, figures. I watched my reaping and realized that I was the only career who didn't volunteer. My name was actually drawn from the crystal bowl. I was on the young age of the career scale, my sixteen years to everyone else's eighteen.

"Make it to the feast, and you have the deck stacked in your favor." My mentor whispered in my ear, as if one of the tributes on the television screen might hear him. The feast was the turning point in everyone's hunger games. Whoever succeeds there is most likely to win the games themselves. I nodded somberly, thinking back to the District Eleven reaping. That girl is braver than I will ever be, when I meet her, I won't even be able to make eye contact. My respect for her is that overwhelming.


	4. Training

Hannah, District 5:

My palms begin sweating as I watched my competitors disperse to the different training stations. The careers, the tributes from One, Two, Four, and their new additions, the tributes from Twelve and Thirteen, head straight for the sword fighting area. Masen, the boy from Eight, goes to the snare building training. I watched in awe as his thin fingers treaded wire together and created a perfectly assembled tripwire.

Angie, the girl from Seven, made her way to the knife throwing section. Her aim was remarkable.

"How long have you been throwing knives?" I asked.

She smiled at me, yet her blue/green eyes remained guarded. "About five minutes."

We laughed together for what seemed like ages. Maybe I would have an ally in these games. She grabbed another knife and tossed it at a target, hitting it squarely in the center of the head. Make that a deadly ally.

She moved on to the blow dart section and the same thing happened. Bull's-eye, every time.

"Maybe you should be with the careers." I said.

Her face became serious. "I will never be one of those monsters. The only way I'll be able to live with myself is if I kill out of self-defense. They kill for sport. They are no better than the pigs on our dinner tables. I will never become a career, and if you have any respect for human life, you won't either."

I nodded slowly and retreated to the camouflage area where new best friends, Blake from Ten and Dillon from Six, were painting tree bark on themselves. I picked up the green paint and doodled a pattern of leaves on my arms, listening to Dillon trash talk the boy from Eight. It's not really my place to say, but I feel like anyone who disses someone behind their back is sort of a coward.

* * *

Megan, District 9:

This place terrified me. How could so many people, children, throw knives at targets and cut limbs off of mannequins then go sit around a lunch table and act like nothing happened. I sat with Sadaf, a twelve year old from Eleven, and Bre, a fifteen year old from Three. I spotted Hannah from Five and waved her over.

Another girl walked behind her. She flipped her chestnut colored hair out of her face as she passed the careers at their table. "Hey, Seven!" a humongous boy with dark skin and muscles as big as my head called. "I saw you at the knife section earlier, why don't you sit with us?"

I saw a dare come into her eyes. She faced him. "That's so nice of you, Santiago, but no. This will most likely make us enemies in the arena, but I would rather have you as an enemy than accept you as a friend and become a soulless monster like yourself."

He jumped to his feet. "You bitch! You'll be the first one I get in the arena." He growled.

"And I'll be waiting patiently for you to be-head me, but for now, I'm hungry. So I'm going to sit with civilized people who actually use table manners." She sat in between Hanna and Masen at our table, adjacent to the careers.

"You're gonna regret that." I whispered to her, fearing she may have signed her own death sentence.

"What's it matter? I'll be dead in about a week anyway. Why not make a few enemies along the way?"

"Because you may make it to the final two, then Santiago will kill you slower because of what just happened." I nervously twisted my brown hair around my finger as I peeked over my shoulder at the careers. Santiago was listening closely for her response.

"I doubt I'll even make it out of the bloodbath. And if I do, then all I have to do is stay hidden until all of the other careers are dead, then I'll take him down myself." She picked up a chicken nugget and bit off half. She was completely serious.

Masen looked at her like she was crazy. "You've done it now, bitch." He said. "You'll be dead as soon as the gong goes off."

* * *

Rachel, District 13:

I watched the others at their table halfway across the cafeteria. Santiago had told me to look for anyone the girl from Seven and the boy from Eight might be teaming up with. They both had wonderful aim, yet refused to be a part of the career pack.

The boy was limited to knives and arrows as far as we knew, whereas the girl could do practically everything but archery. We had yet to see her at sword fighting, but assumed that she would fail because of her lack of arm muscles.

"Seven might partner with Five." I whispered. He just grunted and ate his food.

"And I think Eight and Seven are working together." Brad said.

"No way." Annie-Kate, the girl from Four said. "He just told her that she was gonna die."

I nodded in agreement. "Besides, I think he's trying to partner with the boy from Ten."

"The question is, if he doesn't get a weapon, is he still dangerous?" Trent, the boy from Twelve asked.

"I saw him with snares earlier." Brad said. "He was magnificent. Must be because of his district."

"How would that help him?" I asked.

"District Eight? Textiles? He probably learned to sew at an early age, which means his hands are practically made to handle delicate things like wire easily."

"Oh," I said and pondered over the thought. "I guess it makes sense."

Just then Masen picked up his tray, confidently strutted over to the table occupied by the male tributes from Ten and Six. He leveled the boy from Six with what must have been the world's best death-glare, because it wasn't long until Masen and the guy from Ten remained, with Six sauntering off somewhere.

The two spoke in low tones and it was really hard to get the gist of what the conversation was about, but I assumed Eight was trying to form an alliance with Ten.

The boy from Ten seemed to be considering it when Six came back, obviously having eavesdropped to what Masen was proposing and apparently upset over being left out, "Go knit yourself something pretty for the Interviews, ladyboy!" he snickered, although Ten wasn't amused.

Disgusted, and although he was hiding it well, hurt at what the boy from Six said, Masen flipped him off, and dumped his tray in the trash. His icy blue eyes burned with rage as he stomped out of the room and back into the training center.


	5. Private Sessions

Private Sessions:

Blake, District 10:

Masen walked past me on his way out of his private session. He skimmed me over, as if trying to decide whether or not to smile at me. He decided against it and walked out without looking back at the four remaining tributes. Megan walked in and I sat in silence for what seemed like forever. An automated voice called "Blake, District Ten." I stood, wiped my sweaty hands on my black pants, and walked past the cement doors.

I introduced myself to the Gamemakers, including the Head Gamemaker, Liz, and surveyed the stations to see which had been used. The camouflage station had been used but I knew that Dillon was planning on using it. The Hand-to-hand combat mats and the sword fighting area gleamed with a career's sweat. The blow-dart station had been used, strange seeing as it wasn't used during training all that much. The darts punctured each target person square in the heart, a death sentence if it was poisoned.

The knife station had been used as well. Only the girl from Seven didn't throw these knives. When she threw them, she grabbed the blade and tossed it, making the weapon stick into the target sharp end down. These had the sharp end up, meaning the thrower had to have grabbed the handle and thrown it.

I walked over to the sword fighting arena and asked the station instructor to assist me. I grabbed a short sword and hacked away at the instructor. Fifteen minutes later sweat ran down my neck and I was breathing hard.

"Thank you," Liz said and dismissed me.

I walked out the exit to find the girl from seven sitting on a sofa, playing with the silver charm on her necklace. "What's that?" I asked.

She looked up shocked, as if someone who just snapped out of a trance. She realized what she was doing and dropped the charm. "It's nothing."

"It's the necklace your boyfriend gave you, huh?"

She shook her head. "He's not my boyfriend."

"That guy that tried to volunteer for you?" She nodded. I smiled at her. "Yeah, if he's willing to do that, he's your boyfriend."

I left her alone and started back to my apartment. The elevator seemed to take forever to reach me. The doors slid open to reveal the last person I wanted to see, Masen. He skimmed me over then looked into the corner of the elevator as I stepped inside. He pressed both the eight and ten buttons without looking at me.

"Hey." He sighed.

I nodded in response and stared at the mirrored panels of the elevator. I was watching Masen through the reflection when I realized he was watching me as well. "Are you going to team up with anyone?" I asked to break the tension.

He shrugged. "I thought maybe Seven, but after her fight with Santiago at lunch, I don't need to team up with a Career target."

"You had another fight with Dillon, I take it." Damn, these two were like oil and water, whether I wanted to or not, I couldn't get them to work together, which is a shame because they are both confident in their survival.

"What does it matter who I fight with? As long as Dillon is your ally, you and I are always going to be enemies. It sucks though. Do you know why?" he asked and I simply shook my head. "Because I'm the only one who sees it. I'm the only one who can see how Dillon is using you for training so that once he gets in the arena he can kill you. He knows that I see right through his game and he hates it."

I didn't know what to say, he just looked pissed. His cheeks looked slightly pink and his jaw was clenched. I could feel the stiffness in the air. Masen's motions usually looked fluid, now he was jerky and awkward. I looked at him and almost asked if he was alright when the elevator stopped.

"Do what you want," he said, before stepping out, leaving me alone. What the Hell just happened?

* * *

Trent, District 12:

I sat alone watching reruns of the Reapings on television. My stylist and mentor tried to come in but I locked my bedroom door so that I could watch them by myself. The new Capitol symbol came onto the TV and Peeta Mellark appeared on the screen. After twenty four years of running the hunger games interviews and tribute scores, Peeta still treated every airing like it was special.

"Hello, once again, Ladies and Gentlemen; I'm Peeta Mellark, and I am covering the Hunger games from start to finish. Now, what you all have been waiting for; the tribute scores."

I clenched my fists so tight that I'm that my nails punctured the skin of my palms. Peeta read off the scores of the tributes in order.

_Brad, District One- 8_

_Santiago, District Two- 10_

_Bre, District Three- 5_

_Annie-Kate, District Four- 8_

_Hannah, District Five- 6_

_Dillon, District Six- 6_

_Angie, District Seven- 10_

_Masen, District Eight- 10_

_Megan, District Nine- 6_

_Blake, District Ten- 9_

_Sadaf, District Eleven- 5_

_Trent, District Twelve- 9_

_Rachel, District Thirteen- 8_

I breathed a sigh of relief; a nine, just for throwing a grown man around on the hand-to-hand combat mats. At least I'll look halfway decent to the sponsors. Thanks to Katniss and Peeta, District Twelve was a Career district, along with 13.

I unlocked my door and walked into the dining room. Now, knowing that I had a decent score, I could now fill the hole in my stomach with what would be one of my last meals.


	6. Interviews

Annie-Kate, District 4:

My sapphire blue dress had a slit clean-up to my hip that showed off my long, tan legs as I walked out of the spotlights of the stage. My interview had gone well; I never hesitated to answer a question. I was calm, cool, and collected as I sat down next to Bre and Hannah. Peeta announced her name and she stood tall as she walked onto the stage. Her silver dress clung to her thin figure and the silver twine twisted into her dirty blonde hair brought a sparkle to her brown eyes.

Sitting like a lady, I paid attention to her as she answered the questions with a stiff upper lip and a smile. Peeta grabbed her hands and asked her about her family back home. She smiled as she answered the questions about her parents and her friends.

The conversation became more serious, asking about her strategy for the game and what she would do if she won. "Hannah, are there any tributes that you are considering forming an alliance with?" Peeta asked with a quick glance at the rest of the tributes sitting to the right of the stage.

"Well," she started. "Angie, the tribute from Seven, and I became fast friends. I was actually thinking about asking her to form an alliance with me, thinking that two would be safer than one."

"You were thinking about it?" Peeta asked. "Are you actually going to?"

She shook her head slowly. "No, she got in an argument with one of the careers and that made herself a prime target on his hit list. I don't want to be constantly running from the careers because she pissed him off. I feel like I'd be safer alone."

"Well, we all wish you truly the best, Hannah, we hope to see you again later. The best of luck to you as you enter these games." The he lowered his voice and whispered something to her, she smiled and nodded politely then walked back to her seat next to me.

* * *

Dillon, District 6:

As I stepped off stage, the girl from Seven walked past me and I bumped her shoulder. I didn't like her, I don't think anyone but Hannah did. She's someone I wouldn't really want to kill, because it'd be too easy.

Her pink floor length gown clung to her midsection then split over her hips. She sat down gracefully and folded her hands in her lap as I took my seat next to Hannah with the other tributes. She glanced quickly back at me and smirked but turned back before anyone else noticed it.

Peeta talked to her about her strategy and how long she expected to live.

"Well, the way I see it," she said confidently. "I have two options. One, I die before I get out of the bloodbath, most likely by Santiago's sword, or two, I make it through the first night and hide out until a majority of the careers are dead. Then I'll fight for my life, and win."

"Fight for your life? What if you sneak up on someone?" Peeta said.

She shook her head and pursed her lips. "I swore to myself that I would only kill out of either self-defense or the defense of an ally. The main reason I've pissed off the careers is because I refuse to kill for sport or gain." She's so boring.

Peeta nodded and changed the subject. "So, Angie, you are a lovely young lady, is there any special boy back home?"

Her cheeks instantly flushed and she fiddled with the silver charm on her necklace. "Is that the token from your district?" he asked and she nodded. "What is it?"

"It's the necklace Matt gave me." she said then bit her lip. Oh wow, the predictable 'I have someone special at home so I should win' story. Happens every year.

The crowd gave excited 'Ooohs' and cheers as Peeta brought up a District Seven boyfriend. "Who's Matt?" he asked with a broad smile.

Her face was still red as she smiled at him. "Well I guess that since I'm going to die anyway, letting him know couldn't hurt." She laughed softly. "Matt is…. Well, I don't really know how to describe him. His parents left him alone in District Seven, he came to my mother looking for help and she offered him a place to stay. He and I just sort-of clicked."

"What do you miss most about him?" Peeta asked.

She smiled off into the distance. "I would have to say, whenever I had nightmares he always knew. By the time that it woke me up, he would be sitting on the foot of my bed with a glass of water. Then he would crawl into my bed and hold me until I fell asleep." She sighed and fiddled with the charm on her necklace again. "Being here without him, it seems like my nightmares have gotten worse." You won't have to worry about bad dreams much longer, I'll see to that.

"Well, I'm sorry about your nightmares, but I can't believe your mother is okay with this. I mean, being a parent myself, I couldn't imagine being okay with a man in my daughter's bed before she was married."

She dropped the charm and looked sheepishly at him. "My mother didn't know until now." Shut up whore.

The crowd cheered again at her small rebellion. "Now that we've talked about your strategy and your home and your boyfriend," Yawn, yawn, and yawn.

"He's not my boyfriend." She said softly.

He just gave the crowd a look and shook his head. "Anyway, personally, I am curious about what happened to make you lose allies."

"Well, I was invited to join the careers, but as I said earlier, I refuse to kill for sport. I called Santiago a monster and probably signed my own grave." The cameras flipped over to Santiago, he was fuming. "Which scared away the friends I had made. But I guess it's for the best. My mentor told me not to trust anyone, and that wasn't far from what I was planning on doing. Hannah and I were becoming too close too fast."

"And what would be so wrong with an ally or two?" Peeta asked.

She sighed and shook her head, "I would rather not be friends with the people who will either kill me or I will end up killing."

Finally the buzzer goes off, and once Masen takes the stage I try to tune the world out. Something I should have done ever since Seven stepped up there. I think I may just have to kill them now and save everyone time.


	7. The Bloodbath (Day 1)

The Bloodbath:

Sadaf, District 11:

The plates rise and I survey the tributes. Santiago and the rest of the Careers are already locked into a running position. The look in their eyes scares me, like they've always wanted the opportunity to murder someone. Others, like Hannah, appear unfazed, just looking for a way out.

The Cornucopia is giant, casting a shadow over Megan and another tribute who I can't quite make out. It's not as filled as it usually is, and the only items are on the inside, there is nothing on the outskirts. Annie-Kate and Brad are signaling which tributes they're going to take out once the gong sounds, and I can't help but whimper when a finger is pointed at me.

My skin floods with goosebumps and I begin to shiver. Half a minute left, and I can't decide where I want to go. I just don't know what to do. I can't run to the mouth of the horn, I know I'm not that quick, and even if I get there, I'll probably turn around into the sword of a Career.

I look around again, trying to see if I could run out to the woods behind the tail of the cornucopia, or the tall grass surrounding the area. There's a few mountains out to my left, but I can't climb, so I take that option out.

Zipping up my jacket, I start to shake even harder. "I can't do this," I whisper to myself, swallowing hard, "I'm not this type of person." I take one final look around, not bothering with a few fly-away hairs as I step off my plate.

* * *

Santiago, District 2:

Fifteen seconds before the gong rings, an explosion comes from five tributes over. I don't even turn away to look at who it was, I've got to focus. The supplies are organized on the walls of the cornucopia. Survival bags at the back, weapons near the edge, and food in the middle. I see the sword I need, large, with a golden handle.

The last few seconds are testing my patience, and once the gong goes off, I'm sprinting towards the center of the supplies. I'm breezing past everyone until I glance over and see Masen running a couple of feet to my right. I doubt he's going to get my sword, but I still punch him in the jaw before heading off to grab the blade.

I turn around and target the first person I see, Megan. She's trying to sneak off with a backpack. It takes less than seven steps to run over and stab her in the neck. I decide to finish Masen off, because last I saw him, he was on the ground, but I can't see him. I'll just kill another weakling instead.

* * *

Masen, District 8:

My jaw is on fire. I took a couple of seconds to make sure it wasn't dislocated, and I got up as fast as I could. There ain't no way I'm going to be a sitting duck because I got socked by a brute. He could have snapped my neck if he wanted to, but he's turned his attention to Megan now. Perfect.

I smoothly jog over to the mouth of the horn, and I begin to assess the supplies. I need to get out of here quickly, I'm not in an alliance and, let's face it, I'm the biggest threat here. I spot a half dozen knives and I grab those, picking up a bag along the way to toss the blades into. I keep one clenched in my hand and attempt to figure out a way to escape this. But I can't focus. There are too many variables; Blake sprinting towards the bags, Rachel hiding behind a rack of spears, and I'm too pumped to make any rational thoughts. So I run. I dart across the mouth, snatching a spear because I can, and making my way around the back of the cornucopia.

I'm telling myself to get the hail out of there, but when I see Dillon slinking around behind the horn like a coward, I beeline to him. Under ideal conditions, I'd try to make my footsteps soft, but I'm storming over. He finally hears me, and turns around, but by then I've shoved the blade deep between his eyes.

"That's for stealing my partner." I rip the dagger out and spit on his body. "Bitch." And with that, I quietly stride my way into the forest.

* * *

Rachel, District 13:

We all regroup, after the weaklings and loners escape, and Santiago loses it, "So you're saying I'm the ONLY one who killed anyone during the bloodbath?!"

I try to answer, when he interrupts, "What were you doing? Playing hopscotch?!"

None of us have an answer. Annie-Kate and Trent start stacking all of the supplies into a pile and Brad is sifting through the weapons. We all hear a rustle of leaves and none of us have the chance to say anything when Santiago scowls and mutters, "I've got this one."

When he returns, the cannons begin. _Boom. Boom. Boom. Boom._The girl who jumped off her plate, the girl who tried to run away without fighting, Dillon, and… Whoever Santiago just killed.

* * *

Angie, District 7:

The darkness of the sky falls and I wait for the anthem. Sitting in my tree, I realize that I only know who two of the cannons belonged to. Megan and Sadaf. Sadaf. Poor girl couldn't hurt a fly. I can't get the image of her exploding body out of my head, and it sickens me to think that I might actually see a lot worse in the next couple of days.

I try to think. Once I left the bloodbath with the bag Megan dropped as Santiago decapitated her, I saw Hannah sprinting in the opposite direction. I was going to call after her, she didn't appear to have a weapon, but I just don't think being allies with anyone is a great idea. Blake walked under my tree a while ago, from what it looks like, he made it out pretty good, two packs and a medium-sized blade of sorts.

I haven't seen Masen since Santiago decked him on the way to the Cornucopia, I can't decide if I wanted to see his face up in the sky tonight, but I doubt the odds are in his favor at this point. I'm not able to imagine a Career up there, and just as I finish my thoughts, Bre's face pops up. Followed by Dillon's, which means Hannah made it through the night. Megan comes up next, so I know Masen's okay. And Sadaf comes last.

I try to settle into sleep, but I can't shake the thought of a Gamemaker trap springing up the moment I close my eyes…


	8. Reflection (Day 2)

Reflection:

Hannah, District 5:

Surviving the Bloodbath was probably one of the scariest things I've had to do. I saw everyone under a new light. These people, my friends, just turned on each other. And there are only eight left.

I made it out with a syringe of something, and a loaf of bread. I found a stream and made camp for the night. It was freezing. Now I'm just trying to find the Careers. Maybe I'll be able to strike a deal or something for a blanket.

I hear Santiago's voice and I know I'm headed in the right direction. He's ranting, so I don't think now would be the best time to show up. I decide to just listen in.

"Thanks to all of you," he growls, "There are four loners out there who, if they got their act together, could form an anti-career alliance and become that much more of a threat."

I never thought of it that way. But, Santiago's over-reacting. Angie isn't very trusting, and Blake and Masen have this on-again off-again friendship that doesn't make for a very good team dynamic, so he isn't seeing the whole picture.

I try to back away, seeing as he's not too fond of us 'loners', but I slip on a branch and tumble into the open clearing.

In mere seconds, Trent is at my side and pulls me up by my hair, dragging me to the rest of the group.

"Don't just stand there, kill her." Brad says, feeding his newfound excitement.

That's when I feel the blade enter my side. I curse in pain, feeling stupid and helpless. It's over. There's nothing I can do to get myself out of this. And I accept my fate.

But I know I can't leave like this. I reach inside my pocket and find the syringe. I don't know what it does, but at least I'll be doing something. I'm about to insert it into his neck, when he drops me.

I'd be worried about bruising on my tailbone, but I'm dead anyway, so I just stab it into his thigh.

I feel myself fading to black, and it only takes one more blow to the heart to end the pain.

* * *

Blake, District 10:

Waking up early isn't really my style, but that cannon just woke me up, and if I sleep in, that could be me. And I'm not giving anyone that satisfaction.

Yawning, I check my bags for all of my supplies, and sure enough it's all still there. At least I'm not being followed. I've got a slingshot, a shortsword, a sleeping bag, some flint, and enough fruit to last a day or two. Not bad, but I'd have a lot more if my ally didn't appear in the sky last night.

Dillon. Can't imagine anyone killing him. He was well-liked. It just doesn't make sense, but these games do change people, I just didn't think it would be that quick.

I decide to keep on moving, so I pack up all of my stuff when I hear a twig snap to my right. Instinctively, I grab the nearest object and turn toward the noise in a defensive stance.

"Oh my Lort, ladies and gentlemen, he's going to kill me with a pear. Looks like it's all over." The voice was all I needed. That and the dripping sarcasm. Masen.

"Do you just live to annoy me?" I ask, after groaning and dropping the fruit. The only way I'd be able to attack him would be if I rushed him with my sword, but he's at least twelve feet away.

"Well, at the moment, I live to ensure your death, and with it, my survival." He laughs, but stops suddenly, bringing a hand up to a bruised jaw.

I decide to make myself comfortable and lean up against a tree. "Yeah, yeah, because you're so deadly. Nice job on surviving the first night. What, did you cower away once the gong rang and hide up until now?

He pulls out a blade and I notice the crimson stain running four inches into it. "You know, I doubt you'll guess which pot smoking idiot I stabbed in the head at the bloodbath…" He coldly smirks.

"Why the Hell would you kill Dillon?" I never really considered Masen to be the one to off Dillon, mainly because I didn't think he'd have the balls to engage someone into combat.

"I was doing you a favor." He murmurs, rubbing one of his knives on the bottom of his shirt to remove excess blood.

"Yeah? And what kind of fucked up favor was that?" I raise my voice in an attempt to get him to stop screwing around. Just in case it's needed, I reach down for my blade when a dagger stabs my sleeve into the trunk of the tree.

I look up to see if he's actually going to follow up, but he's just standing there, staring me straight in the eye.

"You're fucking welcome." He huffs in that annoying 'I'm a bitch and I know it' voice that puts me on edge and stomps off into the woods.

Something tells me I haven't yet heard the end of this. And that's when a second cannon goes off.

* * *

Annie-Kate, District 4:

After the syringe enters Trent's thigh, he looks at all of us with this intense fear in his eyes. He glares down at Hannah's lifeless body and smashes her head in with his boot.

Then he just loses it. His arms and neck begin to bulge out in weird fashion and he begins to make grabbing motions with his hands. He runs over to our supplies and knocks over a whole array of weapons into the grass.

He begins to moan the most awful sounds. And I know what he's looking for. Medicine. I'm almost positive we have nothing to treat this, and I'm afraid he'd kill me if I tried to give him anything.

We all watch in horror as he ends up grabbing a mace and hitting Hannah over and over. It's the only thing he can do to cope. He eventually stops berating her corpse and falls over, dead. His cannon fires and we all shudder. All of us except for Santiago.

My heart stopped as I caught sight of Hannah's blood on Trent's mace and his body lying next to hers, and that was when it hit me. I'm going to die here.

Let's face it, compared to Brad and the other Careers, I really stand no chance. One of these weapons lying around in the grass will eventually kill me. I just hope it won't hurt too much.

I begin to hyperventilate when I notice Rachel is looking at me weird. She's about to open her mouth when I begin to back away.

"I-I'm going to check to make sure no one was with her." I sputter, grabbing a scythe and heading into the forest.

I run far. I don't know how far, but I know it was a while before I stopped. Then I just let go. Tears stream down my face and I do nothing to stop them.


	9. The Plan (Day 3)

The Plan:

Rachel, District 13:

Every day I spend in here is another day closer to death. Maybe it's today. Maybe it's tomorrow. I don't know. But I know it's coming. And I've just got to accept it.

But every time I look into the sky for more faces, something deep inside me tells me to keep moving. It's like the fallen tributes are telling me to run. To survive.

I look over at my allies. Annie-Kate's rummaging through the weapons to find one that isn't tarnished or stained with blood. Santiago's doing his morning exercises, a series of push-ups and sit-ups. And Brad's just sitting on a log, taking everything in. Just like me.

I'm not a Career. I know this isn't me. But I don't know why I'm with these people. I've got to get out of here.

Santiago finishes his regimen, and he starts barking orders. I wasn't really paying attention, but apparently he and Annie-Kate are going tribute-hunting.

I'm sitting down, running through a list of supplies, when I see that Brad is moving crates over to one side of the camp.

"What are you doing?" I slowly stand up.

"Ditching this popsicle stand. Come on, I've seen the way you act, you don't really want to be here either." He wipes a few beads of sweat from his forehead and motions me over.

"What are we gonna do with all this?" I ask, making my way over a pile of medical supplies.

"A river," he stops to catch his breath, "not far from here."

"We're just going to dump it?!" I ask, a bit too loudly.

"Well, first we'll take most of it for us. We just gotta make sure we change locations, otherwise they'll be coming for us."

We lay out a tarp and load all of the crates and bags onto it, and begin dragging it in the direction of the river.

This morning I was dead. Now I have a chance.

* * *

Angie, District 7:

Do you ever get the feeling that something big is about to happen? I've got that very feeling right now…

This feeling starts festering, and before I know it, I've climbed out of my try and I'm walking towards the Cornucopia.

My bag is thumping against my side with every step, and I realize, with a gasp, that I don't have a weapon.

I'm going to need something deadly if I'm going to get out of here.

"Looks like I'm headed to the Career camp." I sigh to myself, hoping that I'll manage to get something from them without going out with a cannon blast.

I've made it about fifty meters when I hear the sound of Annie-Kate's voice.

"I really don't trust Brad, he doesn't help out around camp, and I'm pretty sure he's just a weakling from a Career district."

My hands start to tremble, and force myself to be still and silent. I know I can't run, too many leaves on the ground.

"We'll deal with him later, first we've got to get these outer districts out." Santiago's booming voice resonates through the woods.

Staying still becomes incredibly hard, but just as I'm about to give out, I hear a crashing through the bushes to my left. A figure darts past, holding what looks like a burning stick.

We make eye contact for a short moment, and I recognize the face, Masen. He sprints around Santiago and tosses the flame onto Annie-Kate's hair, not stopping for a second to see how anyone reacts.

Now's my chance. I jog around the Careers, and with the distraction, no one seems to notice me. The twigs have snagged in the girl's hair, and parts of it are ablaze. He manages to throw the larger part of it onto the ground.

Santiago picks up his partner's body and bolts through the forest, yelling something about a river not too far.

Speaking of river, I remember that I need water in addition to a weapon. I wait for Santiago to pass before I make the mistake of turning around. The clearing I was just in is now engulfed in flames.

I begin running after the other tributes, hoping they'll know which way to go.

* * *

Brad, District 1:

They've got to be planning a Feast soon. I just know it. And I know that if I can hold out till then, that I can win this thing.

I've convinced Rachel to ditch the Careers with me. Which is good, because if she hadn't, I'd have had to kill her, and that wouldn't look very good from a sponsor perspective.

We reach a clearing, and the river has a really strong current. Hopefully it's enough to carry the supplies far away. But then Rachel gasps. I'm about to ask what the problem is when I follow the direction of her outstretched arm to a huge column of smoke.

"Why is this something to be worried about?" I ask, when we hear random shouting. Except it's not random. The voices are familiar.

"It's them!" I yell, before beginning to shove random boxes off the side of the bank, letting the current pull them swiftly away. Rachel does the same.

The voices become close, but I hear around three sets of people.

The first set stops, but I can't see anyone. The second comes in around half a minute later, slower. It's Santiago, who is dragging Annie-Kate to the edge of the riverbed. She dunks her head in, and when she pulls it out, almost all of her hair is gone.

The third never comes either. I spend a few minutes looking for whoever it may be when a sword sails in front of my face. I jump back and fall on my tailbone, trying desperately to get back up. But I can't.

Santiago stands there, glaring at me before turning to Rachel and grabbing her by her hair and shoving her head underwater.

I hear a fourth set of footsteps while watching bubbles come up to the surface of the water. Annie-Kate hears them too, and tells Santiago to stop.

She's right, after all. We should at least stick together to take the remaining tributes out, and it looks like they're all here…


	10. Boundaries (Day 4)

Boundaries:

Blake, District 10:

Last night, as I was just going through the last of my food, I realized that I was missing something. Heat.

With the last few rays of sunlight dimming away into the night, I tore my whole camp up looking for my flint.

After searching for the precious material long after the darkness had surrounded me, I gave up. I curled up in my sleeping bag and tried to stay as warm as possible. And really, It wasn't that big of a deal, the temperature wasn't dangerous or anything, just uncomfortable.

But when I woke up this morning, I realized where- rather I say- with whom its location resided. After hastily packing all of my belongings up, I kept a constant jog to the Cornucopia.

I knew there'd have to be a feast soon, so I was sure I'd see the thief there, instead of hunting him down in the arena.

It took some time, but I finally made it to the horn. Now all I had left to do was set up camp and wait for the announcement to be made.

That was before I noticed the massive wall of smoke and fire wrapping around the sides of the arena. I know I can't stay here. The smoke will build up unless I get to an area without fuel. I scan the surroundings and see only one option. A river.

I'm almost to the bank when I see a few of the other tributes. I'm going too fast and I know I won't be able to stop myself in time, but I try. I slide out to the edge of the woods and hold my breath, hoping no one heard me.

And apparently no one did. The four Careers are scrambling to get a weapon for themselves, but they aren't attacking one another. I'm trying to figure out what they're waiting for when I see a knife whiz by the guy from One's head and nestle itself into a tree a few meters away.

"Go get that, and bring it back." Two says to the girl from Four, Annie-Kate. As she turns toward the direction of the dagger, I notice that half her head and part of her face is all charred.

She disappears into the woods and comes back with nothing. "I couldn't find it."

Her explanation is cut short when the girl from Thirteen screams, "I found him!" she darts into the forest and drags someone out near the bank. I already know who it is. Masen. She smiles cruelly and grabs a weapon from the large pile.

It's a rope with a spiked-ball on the end and a whip on the other. She snaps it in the air while Masen fumbles with his belt, trying to unhook another dagger. That's when one of his knives shoots out from the trees and stabs One's shoulder blade.

He yells, but then crashes through the woods in the direction of the attacker.

In all the commotion, I forgot that Masen had left a knife with me when I saw him two days ago. When he stole my flint. I reach into my bag and hold the blade in my hand.

I have no experience throwing knives, but I know I can't just let him die like this. Thirteen smacks the whip end across his face and I swallow hard as a steady stream of blood pours from his temple. He doesn't yell or even flinch.

When she prepares another attack I throw the knife for all I'm worth. It lands with a thud on the back of her head. Of course, with my luck, the handle hit her. With the exception of the guy from Two, I'm the strongest one here, so I'm not surprised it hurt her.

She shrieks, and Masen bolts up, grabbing the whip-thing and smacking her in the face with the spiked-ball end. She releases it and he sprints through the bushes, unknowingly in my direction.

He looks up at the last second and ends up slamming into me. We roll for a few feet, wide-eyed and cautious, neither of us knowing the other's intentions. We continue to stare at each other, and I prop myself up on an elbow.

I wipe away a stream of blood from his forehead as he rests a gentle hand on my shoulder. We ease into whatever this is as a cannon fires, but I barely hear it because my heart's beating in what feels like my throat.

* * *

Brad, District 1:

I follow that bitch into the woods. "I know it's you. So just come out."

Santiago told everyone to stay away from her, that she was his kill, but I don't even care at this point. I'm going to get my hands wet in her blood, and after that, I'll kill everyone else. One by one.

I rip the knife out of my back and the pain is tolerable. Nothing compared to what I'll do to her.

She can't hide forever. I know that much. I slash through a few bushes and then spin around unexpectedly, and there she is. Gasping, she slowly backs away.

I rush her and manage to cut her on the arm. Blood trickles out and I smirk. She turns and runs away when she trips on a branch.

I hear Rachel scream from somewhere, and a cannon blasts. Matter of time really. The girl tries to get up but I stab her in the shoulder.

"That must've hurt. Right?" I ask, in fake sympathy, trying to sound as psychopathic as possible. "You really should have joined us, Seven. Then maybe the next cannon wouldn't be yours…"

I bring the dagger down to her chest but she grabs my wrist and twists me down to the ground. I land on my hip, and the pain from my tailbone comes back. I try to keep a straight face, but it's hard.

She bends my hand back and snatches the knife from my hand. She doesn't look strong enough to do this. I kick her in the face and bring myself to my feet. She does the same, wiping her lip, which begins to bleed.

She throws the knife, but it misses and hits a tree, clattering to the ground. I put my back to her and reach for the knife. Suddenly, a flood of pain surges through my spine. She kicked me right on the nerve! I topple over, just a few inches from the knife.

She smirks and says sweetly, "You should have paid attention in training. I never miss." She lifts the knife above my head, "And I'd never join a pack of monsters like you." The pain stops, my vision drains to black, and it's over. I didn't even make it to the Feast.

* * *

Masen, District 8:

Somewhere in between the first cannon and the cannon that just went off, something happened. I haven't even had time to take it all in.

All I know is that, we were on the ground. And then we were just so… Intimate. He brushed some of the blood off my forehead, and I laid my hand on his shoulder. Then I grabbed his bicep and pulled myself closer to him.

He leaned himself against a tree and put a steady hand on the small of my back, and we just kept looking at each other. His eyes are such a deep blue. I looked down at his lips and I just… I couldn't stop myself.

I shoved my mouth onto his and he pushed back. We both pulled away before eventually growing closer together.

The only other thing I can remember is our lips connecting and tongues clashing in a futile battle of dominance.

That, and him shoving me off, getting up, taking one last look at me while shaking his head, and sprinting away…


End file.
